Letters for George: Summer 2018: A Photo-Diary

Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Summer 2018: A Photo-Diary

Dear George,

If you asked me in a noncritical moment how many summers I’ve lived, I’d probably say somewhere around 400. It does seem like that, but 400 is definitely inaccurate. When you’re 80, you’ve (of course) lived 80 or 81 summers, and you might have only 5 or 10 more to go. That fact of life does make summers quite precious. Now that we’re entering a new season, I’ve been thinking how our summer went. It did go by in a whiz, and I don’t remember too many highlights. However, when I looked at the accumulated photos on our computer, more things did come back. So I decided to make a photo diary of the season.

Love,

Dave

One of the best parts of the summer was when our NOLA family — J, K, and our grandkids, V and L — visited us in Cincinnati for a long weekend in early July.

The art museum held its exhibition of Terracotta Warriors from ancient China — truly astonishing.

We enjoyed four Cincinnati Opera productions this season: La Traviata, The Coronation of Poppea, The Flying Dutchman, and Another Brick in the Wall (image source: Cinc. Business Courier).

The Butler County Fair in nearby Hamilton excelled in soft fuzzy rabbits.

Patrick O’Daugherty’s “Twisted” display at the Taft Museum was a work of genius.

The highlight of the Boone County Fair was the beauty pageant for one-year-olds.

We enjoyed seeing John Isner and McKenzie MacDonald at the Western & Southern Open.

Phyllis and I went on our annual outing to the Brookville Flea Market in rural Indiana.

We travelled to New Orleans for J’s art opening at the Newman Gallery — so thrilling.

Then from NOLA we had a relaxing beach vacation in Destin, Florida.

Home again, I went off on a camping trip to Winton Woods county park.

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-POSTING SCHEDULE

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-SOURCES: Personal photos (e.g., family) are by myself or sometimes by another family member. Nonpersonal photos are usually obtained through Google Images. Nonpersonal factual info most frequently comes from Wikipedia and external links available there or from Google searches. Typically I cite sources at the end of the post. If you want to know a source and haven't located it through info I provide, Wikipedia, Google, or Google Images, please let me know at lundgrdc@gmail.com, and I should be able to help.

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JUNE 2024 HOLIDAYS

Thurs., June 6. D Day, WWII. On this day in 1944 Allied troops invaded the beaches of Normandy, France, the turning point of the war in the European theater. /// Fri., June 14. Flag Day. Americans celebrate the meaning of their nation’s flag, honor traditions associated with its care, and educate others about its significance. /// Sun., June 16. Father’s Day. The day to recognize, honor, and celebrate the sacrifices and accomplishments of fathers. /// Wed., June 19. Juneteenth. Also known as Freedom Day and as Emancipation Day, Juneteenth celebrates the abolition of slavery in the U.S. /// Fri., June 21. Summer Solstice. The longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and the beginning of the summer season. /// (Source: wincalendar.com)

FAMOUS QUARTERBACKS

Johnny Unitas was a ninth-round draft choice of the Pittsburg Steelers in 1995, but he was cut before he ever threw a pass and played semi-pro football for $6 a game. After the season, Baltimore Colts coach Weeb Ewbank signed Johnny for $17,000 as a backup quarterback. He got his chance in the fourth game when the starter was injured and went on to be Baltimore’s starter for the next 17 seasons, accumulating a record seldom matched in NFL history. Unitas passed for 40,239 yards and 290 touchdowns, and his record of at least one touchdown pass in 47 consecutive games stood for more than 50 years. He led Baltimore to four championship titles, was selected NFL Player of the Year three times, and was named to 10 Pro Bowls. Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979, Unitas has consistently been listed as one of the greatest NFL players of all time. (nfl.com; wikipedia)

MY WEEK (Mon., 11/4 - Sun., 11/10/24)

I read “The Eventful Month of November” at my writers group and “My Lost Poem” at Advanced Poetry. We voted on Tuesday, and Katja woke me at 3 a.m. to say that everyone had lost. That left me in a funk all week. We had lunches at The Original Pancake House, The Proud Rooster, and Izzie’s Delicatessen. Dissatisfied with my big box hearing aids, I went to an audiology clinic, was tested, and arranged for new hearing aids with the promise that I’d do much better. We watched several good movies that I’d DVR’d: a Pauline Kael documentary; The Sum off All Fars; A Note on a Scandal; and The Lost Leonardo. We saw the African-American photo exhibit at the Taft Museum (“Pose for Beauty”). I worked on a scary Halloween story. We got various items at the Florence Costco, including a big bottle of Old Forester.